About Me

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Notes to my younger self

Things I wish I had known when
I was a teenager…

In the unlikely event of time travel
becoming a reality, I really would not want to be a teenager again. Yes, I know
this has become a bit of a cliché, for middle-aged folks to claim that we have
never been happier and more content now that our younger days are behind us.
But behind every cliché lurks an eternal truth. And in this case it is that
youth is wasted on the young (oh dear, there I go with the clichés again!)

It was certainly wasted on me. When I
wasn’t fretting about the numbers on my report cards I was moaning about the
ones on the weighing scales. I was constantly worried about fitting in rather
than focused on standing out. And then, I went effortlessly from worrying about
how I would fare at a job interview to obsessing about how I would interview
all those larger-than-life celebrities once I had landed a job with the most
popular newsmagazine of the day.

Only now that my youth is
oh-so-definitely behind me, do I realize that I really did not have very much
to worry about at all – if only I had the sense, and the perspective, to see
that at the time.

So here, for the benefit of my
younger readers (and maybe the odd older one), are some notes that I scribbled
down for my younger self. Read on…they may stand you in good stead for the next
20 years.

* Don't envy the cool kids in
school/college. They may seem very with it now, with their designer clothes,
their dewy complexions, their overweening confidence on the sports field, their
talent on the stage. But fast forward 25 years and you won't be envying them at
all. Believe me, I've seen the pictures. And suffice it to say, they're not
pretty.

* Don’t obsess over your grades. The
difference between a first-class and a second-class degree seems insurmountable
now. And it seems that your life will end if you don't score that magic 60 per
cent (what would now be a magic 98 per cent). Trust me, it won't. In fact, in
another five years or so, when you're finally excelling in the job of your
dreams nobody will even ask you what you scored in our graduation papers. In
fact, most people won’t even care if you graduated at all.

* Don’t knock the way you look. Yes,
I know, when you stand in front of the mirror now, you feel as if a) you could
stand to lose a few pounds b) zap those inflamed pimples on your chain that no
amount of concealer could camouflage c) gain a few more inches in height and d)
get a brand-new wardrobe. But when you gaze at pictures of your younger self,
20 years down the line, you will be astounded by just how amazing you looked.
And you will wonder why that never occurred to you at the time.

* Don’t
be too focused on putting money aside for a runny day. A bit of cash stashed
away is always useful. But don’t shy away from spending money on experiences
that will give you a lifetime of memories. Backpack through Asia. Take a rail
trip through Europe. Climb a mountain. Go deep-sea diving. The memories will be
priceless; the money, if saved, will only be a fraction of what it was worth
when you earned it.

* Don’t ignore your emotional life because you
are too busy focusing on your professional one. Reach out and make friends.
Make time for family. Spend time nurturing your bonds with those whom you love
and cherish. Stay in touch with your feelings. It is relationships that will
sustain you in the long run; not that bright, glittering career you are so
proud of.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Hi Mam..One of your young reader here(17)..FIrst of all I must admit that your article is one of the few things that I look forward to in Brunch..I just absolutely love your articles and i have utmost respect for you..Now all that's left to say is that i loved this article of yours too..Stay Blessed..